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First released in 2005, Alien Arena is a multiplayer sequel to two
older single-player first-person shooters. Since then Alien Arena has
had yearly releases which have kept the game updated with new features. The
original game was based on the id Tech 2 engine from Quake 2, with
many new features added that kept it looking modern. Alien Arena:
Reloaded uses the CRX engine, which while still based on id Tech
2, has had several things from id Tech 3 folded into it, as well as other
features. On the surface, it's pretty standard arena shooter
fare. There's no single-player campaign here, instead the single-player mode
has one square off against bots on the same maps one would play in multiplayer,
as sort of a practice mode before going online.

Given its Quake ancestry, game play is fast and frenetic. Alien
Arena: Reloaded very much feels like a Quake mod when
playing it, but looks more like a modern game thanks to its use of improved
textures, and added features like rain and water dripping on surfaces.

There's a healthy amount of Alien Arena servers up at any given
moment, however there's not very much in the way of a competitive scene. There
are still clan tournaments, but there's no tourneys on the scale of Warsow or even
QuakeWorld.

Given the free nature of the Alien Arena's code and assets, it's
available for most major modern operating systems. There's a handy Windows
installer, and it's available for most Unix-like systems through the usual
channels, such as MacPorts, various Linux packages, and the FreeBSD ports
system.

What sets Alien Arena apart?

Alien Arena has a unique selection of weapons, including the
newly-added Mind Eraser, that are designed around its retro sci-fi theme that
showcases giant-headed aliens in space suits, robots and other '60s B movie
favorites. There's a rocket launcher too, because that's required in the
sacred laws of shooters. While movement still felt like Quake 3 to me
when I first loaded it up, that was a good thing, as it made me feel at home,
and is likely to do the same for long-time shooter players. Alien
Arena also adds a dodge functionality, which the id Tech engines didn't
have. It's also possible to chain dodges together to enable a "strafejump"
sort of movement. While it takes a little practice to get this technique down,
it's easily picked up for players who are used to double-jumping in other
shooters.

Alien Arena has the standard capture-the-flag and deathmatch modes,
including team deathmatch. There's also a Team Core Assault mode which is a
control point scenario where a team must disable all of the other team's power
nodes before destroying a central spider power node. Alien Arena also
adds some new modes that are unique, which are
Deathball and Cattle Prod. In Deathball, one scores points by killing opponents
as well as finding a ball and shooting it into the goal. In Cattle Prod mode,
teams try to guide the cows found in the middle of the map into goals which are
located inside the enemy base.

Gameplay

Overall gameplay is a lot like any other Quake-based shooter, and
as I mentioned before, it didn't take long for me to feel right at home. The
single-player option, while not a full campaign, is designed to let the player
jump into action immediately and face off against bots. Lower levels of the bot
AI aren't very challenging to allow new players to get acclimated, and higher
levels provide a much tougher challenge. It's worth mentioning that Alien
Arena: Reloaded has improved the bot AI for capture-the-flag mode, which
makes it both easier to practice or to have a bot or two fill in for lopsided
teams.

Multiplayer offers more of the same, except with facing off against human
opponents. Alien Arena comes with the Galaxy server browser that
allows one to create or join servers, and uses an IRC-based chat system to set
up games and chat with fellow players.

Conclusions

Alien Arena is a fun game, and its developers should be proud of
having crafted such a unique shooter that draws on the best parts of its
ancestors. In these days of tactical team-based shooters, it's refreshing to
see a run-and-gun style shooter still deliver. However, the community is
smaller than other free shooters, and the competitive scene is nearly
non-existent. For a game based around online multiplayer, that doesn't really
help. Still, I'd say it warrants a play if you enjoyed Quake 3 Arena,
or if you like Warsow and are looking for a break with something a
little different.